The name of the first computer in the Soviet Union. Soviet computers: betrayed and forgotten

Even though very few could afford Personal Computer, in the 80s, such devices were actively developed in the USSR. A lot of products were presented, and for you we have prepared a list of the 10 coolest.

"Agate" (1984–1993)

The Agat computer was the first such device created for wide distribution and use in education. It was developed on the basis of the Apple II, released into mass production in 1984. Interestingly, it was produced right up to 1993. The Agata hard drive could hold up to 2 KB of information, but additional memory modules could be installed. RAM - up to 128 KB depending on the generation of the computer. The set also included two game joysticks.

"Corvette" (1987)

Corvette was designed for work needs: it could process information, make calculations, compile data archives. The personal computer was one of the advanced developments of the USSR and displayed graphics at high speed. The developers even claimed that this setting was the best compared to the IBM PC. But because of a large number marriage made during production, the Corvette did not become popular and was famous for its unreliability.

"Lviv PK-01" (1986–1991)

Created at the Lviv Polytechnic Institute, "Lviv PK-01" was made to organize training in schools and institutes. On it you could read books, do tasks or play. A household tape recorder served as external memory, and if necessary, a ROBOTRON printer could be connected to a computer. There were several modifications of the Lviv PK-01, but all developments were curtailed after the collapse of the USSR. It's a pity - the latest version of the computer even received a 256-color display, and indeed, the Lviv PK-01 had a real potential to become a home computer for everyone.

"Mikrosha" (1987)

One of the first PCs designed, as they say, "for the home, for the family." It was possible to display the image on a household TV, cassette recorder acted as a memory. Therefore, programs like a text editor, assembler, calculator, games were produced for users - and all on cassettes. Democracy "Mikroshe" was added by the price: then it could be purchased for 500 rubles. Of course, a bit too much, but certainly not prohibitive.

"BK" (1983–1993)

The Home Computer series was created for the home and educational institutions. It even became relatively popular: the price of such a device ranged from 600 to 750 rubles, which was commensurate with the cost of a good color TV. It was three to four times the average salary, but families could afford to save up for such a computer. "BK" was controlled by the first Soviet full-fledged operating system DEMOS, which was often jokingly called UNAS ("with us"), parodying UNIX known abroad ("with them").

Robotron 1715 (1984–1989)

Marvelous functional computer Robotron 1715 was made in the GDR and became popular due to the fact that it had a wide range of features. For instance, text editor was not only convenient, but also worked correctly with Cyrillic, programming language compilers - Pascal, for example - made it possible to create complex programs. There were also quite a few games: Tetris, Tic-Tac-Toe, Chess, Labyrinth, Soviet analogues of Snake and Pac-Man. Later, the programmer Alexander Garnyshev created new games in which he managed to use the sounds of the printer as special effects for what was happening.

"Iskra 1030" (1989)

Created for teaching, the Iskra 1030 computer existed in two versions: one for teachers (with a hard drive) and the other for students (without it). The device was quite competitive - the amount of operating memory was 256 KB, and it could be increased to 1 MB.

"Radio-86RK" (1986)

Unique in its kind, the computer was intended for enthusiastic engineering and radio. I had to assemble it myself: buy parts, boards and mount all the components. Then the firmware was written, and the power supply, keyboard and case were made independently. It was proposed to use a TV as an output device. "Radio-86RK" was very difficult to assemble, and even more difficult to debug. Therefore, he was not very popular.

"Krista" (1986)

The computer worked on the Soviet analogue Intel processor 8080 and, in general, was very similar to Mikrosha. There was only one, but noticeable difference: "Krista" could be controlled with a light pen, pressing it on the area of ​​the touch panel. In addition, the kit included a cassette, on one side of which were the games "Oregon Trail" and "Kingdom of Euphoria" (in addition to the standard ones), and on the other - several lessons for learning the BASIC language.

"Apogee BK-01" (1988–1991)

A computer that was not outstanding in its technical specifications, certainly won in one thing: it cost 440 rubles. Users could play it, write lyrics or store information. And students of technical faculties received programs for calculations in higher mathematics and statistics.

Today, the expression of the computer "Electronic computer" has completely outlived its usefulness. It was replaced by a new, more convenient word with foreign roots "computer". According to some studies around the world personal computer owns almost 61% of the total population of the Earth. But some 50-60 years ago, no one could have imagined that computers could become a new and incredibly huge niche in commerce. In addition, computer ergonomics have changed every decade.

ENIAC

Previously, in the era of early, still electronic-mechanical computers, which in their capabilities did not differ much from a modern calculator, they occupied huge, specially designated rooms. For example, the very first representative of computers (computers) of the early era - "ENIAC", developed by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania by order of the United States Army. It consumed almost 150 kilowatts of energy, and weighed 30 tons. On the graph you can see the difference in performance between modern computing stations and "ENIAC":

Impressive. Today, even a smartphone that fits in our palm is millions of times superior to what it was decades ago. But today is not about that. In this article, I want to tell you about the merits of our domestic engineers, about the contribution they made to the development of the entire computer industry.

The first computer in the USSR

It all started with the appearance of "MESM" (Small Electronic Calculating Machine), which became the starting point in the development of our computing technologies. Its project was created back in 1948 by the scientist Sergei Alekseevich Lebedev, who was one of the founders of information technologies and computer technology in the USSR. And also the Hero of Socialist Labor and the Laureate of the Lenin Prize.

The machine was designed two years later, in 1950. And mounted in a former two-story hostel at the convent in Feofaniya near Kiev. The computer could perform three thousand operations per second, while consuming 25 kilowatts of electricity. This whole miracle of technological progress consisted of six thousand vacuum tubes-conductors. The area allotted for the entire system was 60 square meters. Also, one of the features of "MESM" was the support of a three-address command system and the ability to read data not only from punched cards, but also from magnetic tape media. Finding the root of the differential equation was the first calculation processed using the "MVEM". A year later (in 1951), the inspection of the Academy of Sciences, Lebedev's MESM was approved and accepted for permanent operation in the military and industrial sphere.

"BESM-1"

Work process at BESM-1

In 1953, again under the wing of Sergei Lebedev, the Large Electronic Computing Machine of the first generation (BESM-1) was developed. Unfortunately, it was released only in one copy. The computing capabilities of BESM became similar to US computers of that time, and BESM-1 became the most advanced and productive computer in Europe. For almost 6 years, the machine has been repeatedly upgraded by engineers. Due to this, its performance was able to reach 10 thousand operations per second. In 1958, after another upgrade, it was decided to rename BESM-1 to BESM-2 and put it into mass production. In total, several dozen pieces of this computer were produced.

"Arrow"

But the first mass Soviet computer became the legendary Strela, developed around the same period in the early 50s under the auspices of chief engineer Yuri Yakovlevich Bazilevsky.

The computing power of Strela was 2,000 operations per second. Which was slightly inferior to the same "MESM" by Lebedev, but nevertheless this did not prevent Strela from becoming the best in the field of industrial computers. In total, 7 such copies were released into the world.

"M-1"

It is already clear that the late 40s and early 50s were very fruitful in relation to the growing enthusiasm for the implementation computer systems into the industrial and military niches of the former Soviet Union. So in Moscow, employees of the Krzhizhanovsky Energy Institute developed their own computer, and in 1948 a patent was even filed for its registration.

The key figures in this project were Bashir Rameev and Isaac Brook. By 1951, the computer ("M-1") was designed, but in terms of its capabilities it was inferior to the same MESM Lebedev in terms of computing power. Compared to the MESM, the M-1 computer could perform only 20 operations per second, which is 150 times less than the number of MESM calculations. But this disadvantage was compensated by the relative compactness of the entire system and its energy efficiency. Instead of 60 square meters required for the complete installation of "MESM", "M-1" required about 10 square meters, and the current consumption during operation was 29 kilowatts. According to Isaac Brook, such computers should be aimed at small businesses that do not operate with large capital.

Soon "M-1" was significantly improved. The new name assigned to the second generation was the same short, natural, but at the same time catchy "M-2". I must say that I have a special attitude towards the names of equipment in the Soviet Union and Russia. And no matter what anyone says about their rudeness and homeliness, in comparison with their American counterparts, I like ours more, and personally I can’t imagine that the emblem of the conditional Elbrus was written or called in a foreign language.

But let's get back to our computer. "M-2" became the best "computer" in the Soviet Union in terms of price, quality and performance. By the way, in the first computer chess tournament, in which many countries competed, thereby presenting the possibilities and results of their developments in the IT field, M-2 won an unconditional victory.

Due to their extreme success, the top three computers - "BESM", "Strela" and "M-2" - entered the service to solve the needs of the country's military defense, science and even the national economy.

What does "early computers" mean?

Everything I have said above is computer technology first generation. This classification is determined by the fact that they all had large dimensions, electronic lamps and element bases, as well as high power consumption and, unfortunately, low reliability and focus on a narrow audience (mainly physicists, engineers and other scientists). Magnetic drums and magnetic tapes were used as external memory.

"IBM 701"

It might seem to someone that it was only with us, but no. For example, having familiarized himself with the developments of his colleagues from the States, Academician Nikolai Nikolaevich Moiseev saw the same gigantic computers, around which sophisticated physicists and mathematicians dressed in white coats swarm, zealously trying to eliminate problems that arise one after another. In the 50s, the pride of America was the "IBM 701", which definitely deserved a separate story, but that's later. Its computing power was 15 thousand operations per second. A little later, Lebedev presented the next development of the M-20 computer.

"M-20"

Work for "M-20"

The number of operations that the M-20 could process per second was 20,000, which is 5,000 more than that of its Western competitor. A kind of combination of parallel computing was also introduced, due to the volume doubled in comparison with BESM random access memory. Ironically, only 20 units of the M-20 system were produced. Nevertheless, this did not prevent the M-20 from establishing itself as the most productive and multifunctional computer, which, moreover, was the most reliable among the rest. The ability to write code in mnemonic codes is only a small part of what the M-20 allowed to do. All scientific calculations and simulations carried out in the USSR in the 20th century were mainly performed on this machine.

Computer "Ural"

The period of production and operation of early computers in the Soviet Union continued for almost 20-30 years. In the early 60s, the production of the Ural computer was started. For all the time, about 150 pieces of equipment were produced. The main area of ​​application of "Ural" was economic calculations.

Conclusion

That's all for today. Thank you very much for reading to the end. In the next parts of the series, we will look at the history of ES computers (Unified Systems of Electronic Computers), as well as home computers once produced in the Soviet Union, and of course we will not forget about modern technology Elbrus.

It is no longer a secret that in 1950-70 the USSR was one of the world leaders in the race called "development and production of computer equipment."
The first computers - MESM, M-1, later known BESM-6 with a speed of more than 1 million floating point operations per second, compact computers of the MIR series, and many other achievements of great minds in the "computer" sphere of the Soviet era.

Many people know the history of the creation of PCs by such world foreign giants as Apple, IBM, etc., since information about them has been covered and heard for decades. Historically, there was an opinion that in the USSR, in addition to the fact that there was no "sex", personal computers also appeared 10 years later than in the same America. But this is nothing more than a myth. The first Soviet integrated circuits with several dozen transistors saw the light already in the mid-1960s, and by the mid-1970s microprocessors, complex microcircuits, were being produced, the number of transistors in them was already measured in thousands. In 1974, the first microcomputers based on universal microprocessors were developed. Sectional processors of the K532 and K536 series (which appeared in the same year) made it possible to produce machines with a bit depth of up to 16–32 bits. This is how 16-bit microcomputers appeared. In 1977, an analogue of the Intel 8080 was released - the 8-bit K580IK80 processor. It then became the basis for the creation of a number of PC and microcomputer models. Two years later, the world's first 16-bit single-chip microcomputer, K1801BE1, was developed. Based on the K1801BE1, the K1801VM (single-chip 16-bit microprocessor) was created in 1981, the command system of which was similar to the command system of the PDP-11 minicomputer. From the speech of the Deputy Minister of Radio Industry of the USSR:




The range in size of the first computers was "huge": tons of equipment, entire machine rooms, personnel serving such a miracle of technology. And therefore, the idea that you can use a computer at home seemed simply ridiculous, who could afford to place such a unit within 4 walls of an apartment. And the very concept of a small-sized computer for personal use was unusual at that time. But she was. The end of the 70s was marked by the mass production and release of PCs: Iskra-1256, Iskra-226, Iskra-555, VEF-Micro, Micro-80, Electronics NTs-8010, Electronics BK-0010, Mikrosha, Krista, Apogee BK-01, Partner 01.01, Spektr-001, etc.

In addition, Soviet citizens had an irresistible desire, a blue dream, so to speak, to have a take-away PC, one that could be kept at home. In one of the newspapers, it seems "Trud", in 1987 an article was published about how the head of the automated control system of a cement plant in Primorsky stole (that is, carried out) parts from the plant for assembling computers. He took out not a lot, not a little, but parts worth 6 thousand rubles, at that time you could buy an apartment for that kind of money. Comrade V. Molyarenko had to receive two years of corrective labor for his "hobby".

A vast technological niche, formed due to an acute shortage in personal automated means of communication and information processing - that's what PCs were called to fill.
Some Soviet publications told how to assemble a PC with their own hands, others told how necessary this unit was for Soviet citizens. For example, the magazine "These professional personal computers" described in detail how modern computers and what not only a bright, but also an exciting future they bring: they help to study English language, make it possible to play backgammon, create knitting patterns, work with documents. In well-known magazines with a million circulations, entire sections devoted to IT topics began to appear, they were usually called "Man and Computer". What can I say, even in the magazine for the public 6-12 years old "Murzilka" an illustration appeared in which a teacher introduces students to a computer.

1986 Illustration magazine "Murzilka"

1986 Illustration in the magazine "Young Technician"Mikrosh (based on Radio-86RK)


In 1986, the Lianozovsky Electromechanical Plant released the RK-compatible Mikrosh model. It was an improved version of the RK86 prototype, the base RAM was increased to 32 KB, and a programmable timer KR580VI53 appeared. Why did Mikrosha become one of the famous models Soviet PCs, but everything is corny simple - again marketing, advertising. In 1986, an advertisement about PC Mikrosh appeared on the cover of the Radio magazine, and a year later, in 1987, the computer appeared on the cover of the monthly popular science magazine Science and Life (No. 7).

PC Microsha is a reliable, relatively inexpensive machine. The cost of such a device at that time was 500 rubles.

"Science and Life" No. 7 1987 The Microsh PC weighed about 3 kg: system unit 1.4 kg, power supply - 1.3 kg, modulator -200 grams. Technical data of the simplest computer intended for general sale:
- Bit depth - 8 bits
- The amount of RAM - 32 KB
- Clock frequency - 1.8 MHz
- Power consumption - no more than 20 W

As mentioned about the PC in the journal "Science and Life", Mikrosh may not be the best, not the one you would like to have, but still a real, live computer that opens up many interesting opportunities and basically corresponds to the class of simple computers that has formed on the world market. An ordinary household tape recorder was used as an external memory device, and a black-and-white TV set was used as a display. Included with the computer was a small prefix-blocks (the size of a pack of cigarettes), the so-called modulator, for connecting to a TV. The TV screen contained 24 lines of letters or numbers, 64 characters per line. Mikrosha performed the addition operation in 3 microseconds, and its speed was 200-300 thousand operations per second.

Mikrosha microprocessor - eight-bit KR580IK80A, address bus - 16-wire. First portion software was supplied on a tape cassette MK-60, on it are programs that are necessary to start working with a PC.

A user who wanted to enter programs written in the BASIC language had to start a session with the computer by reading the interpreter of this language into the RAM of the machine. Such a need was due to the lack of a ROM of the required capacity. Krista is a miracle of technology with a "touchscreen"


Another interesting instance and representative of the class of the simplest PCs was the 8-bit Krista machine. The Krista PC began to be produced at the Murom Plant of Radio Measuring Instruments in 1986. Characteristics of the device: 32 Kbytes of RAM, 2 Kbytes of ROM, sound generator on the VI53 chip. Krista was partially compatible with Radio-86RK, in 1986 it cost 510 rubles.
The Soviet personal computer worked on the Soviet analogue of the Intel 8080 processor and was very similar to the Mikrosha. The display was an ordinary household TV, and for storing, recording and playing programs - a cassette recorder. Krista is the first Soviet personal machine equipped with a light pen. The light pen was essentially a light-sensitive pen, with which you could touch objects on the screen, such a domestic touchscreen. Such a tool made it possible to quickly select objects on the display, and was used to draw on it. It is not worth talking about the usefulness of such a manipulator, because working at a large TV screen, drawing something, was extremely uncomfortable for the eyes. Information from advertising on Krista's PC:


From the memoirs of Christ: “my first computer with him on a cassette was a“ musical sequencer ”as a musical demo there was an Oginsky polonaise, it fell down no worse than a synthesizer, and programs from a microchip were suitable”, “and a program for a light pen - it was a screen filled with dots like this ...... (pseudographics). When the pen was brought up, the dots were replaced by asterisks. It was impossible to save. There were many games. Almost everyone from Radio 86rk and others came up. There was also an assembler interpreter, but I could not comprehend it and it seems impossible at all)) "Apogee is the most advanced analogue of Radio-86RK


Personal electronic computer "Apogee BK-01". The release of this Soviet 8-bit PC started back in 1988, at the BRA plant in the Tula region (was engaged in the production of household radio equipment): 64 Kbytes of RAM, 4 Kbytes of ROM. There was a regular three-channel sound generator on the KR580VI53 chip (for sound output). For storage, recording and playback of programs, in addition to the cassette recorder, loading from an external ROM up to 64 KB was provided, though only reading. Apogee BK01 provided software support two modes of writing and reading.
Apogee BK-01Ts is a "color" version of the PC. The KR580VG75 chip was used here, which helped to realize a color image: 8 colors for characters on a black background, or 8 background colors with black characters. However, the Apogee PC displayed quite complex and beautiful pictures.

The cost of a computer ranged from 440 to 560 rubles.
PK-01 Lviv


In 1986, a personal 8-bit educational and household computer "Lvov" was developed at the Lviv Polytechnic Institute. The car was produced by the Lvov Production Association. Lenin. The PC was based on the KR580VM80A processor, the graphics capabilities. RAM was 64 KB, 16 KB was allocated for video memory. There was no sound generator in Lviv, the sound was output programmatically with a full processor load.
Characteristics of the Lvov PC: frequency 2.22 MHz, speed was 200-300 thousand operations per second, RAM - 64 Kbytes (video memory 16 Kbytes), ROM - 16 Kbytes, power consumption was not more than 30 watts.
The tape recorder was external memory, a conventional TV served as a monitor. The screen could simultaneously display 4 out of 8 colors of the palette. It was possible to connect an NGMD controller and a ROBOTRON printer to the Lvov PC. The cost of such a machine was 750 rubles, the cost was higher due to the presence of color graphics and a relatively large amount of memory. The model was popular, especially in Ukraine, 80 thousand of such devices were produced. Therefore, it is not strange that in terms of the number of released games and programs, this PC takes 3rd or 4th place among Soviet personal computers. Perhaps its popularity was nothing more than another marketing ploy, because this car was actively advertised on TV in the late 80s.

As strange as it may sound, one of the first computers was created in the USSR. What was the first soviet computer who created it? To whom do we owe the creation of such sophisticated computing technology in the former Soviet Union? This will be discussed further…

The first Soviet computer MESM (Small Electronic Computing Machine) was created under the supervision of Academician Sergei Alekseevich Lebedev. Initially MESM was developed and created as a model of a large electronic computing machine (BESM). Work on the creation of MESM was experimental in nature, but after the successes obtained, it was decided to finalize the layout in order to be able to solve the set real problems.

The very need to create a computer in the former Soviet Union came a little later, in the United States, work on the first computer was already in full swing. The creation of the Soviet computer began closer to the fall of 1948. In that difficult time after the war, literally the whole country was overwhelmed by work on the atomic project, curated by Lavrenty Beria himself. Initiators creation project MESM, inventions of their own domestic computer made by nuclear scientists. To work on the project, Soviet scientists, led by S.A. Lebedev was allocated two floors of a secret laboratory, in the building of the former monastery in Feofaniya, near Kiev.

Creation of MESM - first successes

According to the stories of the participants in the creation of the first computer, they had to work on the project without sleep and rest, almost 24 hours a day. And by the end of 1949, they decided on circuit diagram computer blocks. Despite the difficulties that a group of scientists constantly encountered, by the end of 1950, MESM was created.

After debugging all the components of the Soviet computer in 1951, the MESM was accepted into operation by the commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1952, MESM computers were launched into large-scale production, they solved the most important scientific and technical problems in the field of thermonuclear processes, space flights, rocket technology, supersonic aviation and many other areas. The computer created by Soviet scientists in 1952-1953 was the fastest and practically the only computer in Europe regularly operated.

The counting system is binary with a fixed point before the most significant digit.
The total number of digits is 16 plus one per sign.
The capacity of the functional unit is 31 for numbers and 63 for commands.
The storage capacity is 31 for numbers and 63 for commands.
Type of storage device - on trigger cells, also with the possibility of using a magnetic drum.
The command system is three-address, commands are 20 bits long (of which 4 bits are the operation code).
Arithmetic device - one, universal, parallel action, on trigger cells.
The number entry system is sequential.
The speed of work is about 3000 operations per minute.
Initial data input - from punched cards or by means of a set of codes on a plug-in switch.
Removal of results - by means of an electromechanical printer or photographing.
Control - programming system.
Determination of malfunctions - special tests and possible transfer to manual or semi-automatic operation.
The number of triode vacuum tubes is about 3500, diodes 2500.
The operations performed by the MESM are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, shift, comparison with sign, comparison by absolute value, transfer of control, transfer of numbers from a magnetic drum, addition of commands, stop.
The total power consumption is 25 kW.
Occupied area - 60 square meters.

In 1985, the first personal computer in the USSR was finally developed and, in 1986, put into production. It was a model of the EC PC, which means - one system personal electronic computers. Actually, it was a model copied from the American IBM System, based on the K1810VM86 microprocessor (Intel 8086 clone). She had floppy drives magnetic disks, 90-key keyboard, monochrome text monitor and dot matrix printer. The ES-1840 was produced at the Minsk Production Association of Computer Technology. In 1987, the EU-1841 model was released, which already had and HDD 5 or 10 megabytes in size, and a manipulator that acted as a mouse. Three times more of these EC computers were produced than other EC PC series machines - almost 90 thousand copies. There were other developments of simple home computers. "Reliable assistant, teacher and friend!". So it is written on the insert-instructions for the personal computer "PK-01 LVOV". It is also one of the first computers in the USSR, released in 1986 by the Lvov Production Association named after. V.I. Lenin.
“The 20th century is the time of the penetration of computer technology into all spheres of life. Soon it will be difficult to do without a computer in work, study and leisure. Open access to you and your children to computer science personal computer PK-01 "Lviv" will help. It was enough to connect it to any household tape recorder, which served as a storage device, and any household TV.
Various models of the first personal computers of the USSR rained down on consumers thirsting for progress. "BK" - a family of Soviet 16-bit home and educational computers.
BK has been mass-produced since January 1985. The display was a black-and-white or color TV or, more rarely, a special monitor, and the same household cassette recorder served as external memory. There were also printers for "BK", but it was almost impossible to get them, the notorious "deficit" now covered the sphere of "scientific and technological progress". To have or not to have a computer in the USSR was no longer just a matter of prestige. Borders in " modern world” were opening up, and all progressive sections of the population dreamed of becoming part of it.
"Agat" - the first mass-produced universal 8-bit Soviet personal computer, was developed in 1981-1983. It was produced from 1984 to 1990. Lianozovsky Electromechanical Plant (as well as Volzhsky and Zagorsky plants). The most famous "school computer", they studied on it until 2001.
There were specialized cooperatives that produced models and variants of the Polish ZX Spectrum - computers popular in the late 80s. These "artels" satisfied the demand of our hungry for everything new, even then, Soviet "users". Many craftsmen appeared who assembled their own "hardware" from everything that could be obtained in the first radio electronics markets that opened in Moscow. Everything worked fine, improved, and as a result, these pioneers formed the current domestic IT elite, the cream of the crop. computer design, PR-specialists are now famous all over the world.